For the fourth straight year, Georgia Press Educational Foundation is providing $33,500 to encourage students interested in pursuing careers in newspapers.

In April, GPEF’s Board of Trustees awarded six college students with scholarships that will help them continue their journalism studies at Georgia universities. GPEF is giving a total of $11,000 to students at Georgia Southern University, Mercer University, Savannah State University, University of Georgia and Valdosta State University.

GPEF is also granting 15 Georgia newspapers $1,500 each to help them fund eight-week summer internships for high school and college students seeking experience working in advertising departments and newsrooms. The newspapers will supplement the grants with $500 each, and they will pay for their interns work-related expenses, such as mileage. Twenty-four newspapers applied for internship grants.

GPEF annually awards scholarships to Georgia residents attending Georgia colleges and universities who are pursuing a career in the field of journalism. Financial need, career plans, grades, interviews and recommendations of advisers, principals, teachers, counselors or Georgia Press Association members are all factors in the scholarship award process. Students may be awarded one of the honor scholarships or a GPEF scholarship. The scholarships are to be used for college tuition.

Honor scholarships are:

• Otis A. Brumby II Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded annually to a college junior or senior majoring in print journalism. Priority will be given to applicants from Cobb County. The Brumby Community Scholarship is named in honor of Otis A. Brumby, Jr., longtime publisher of the Marietta Daily Journal, Neighbor Newspapers and Cherokee Tribune. He is a past president of the Georgia Press Association and frequent winner of GPA and AP Freedom of Information Awards. He is also the first recipient of the David E. Hudson Open Government Award. Apply using GPEF scholarship form.

• Durwood McAlister Scholarship: Established in 1992 by The Atlanta Journal, this scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding student majoring in print journalism at a Georgia college or university. The McAlister Scholarship is named in honor of Durwood McAlister, former editor of The Atlanta Journal. Apply using GPEF scholarship application form.

• Morris Scholarship: Established in 1987 by Charles Morris, Morris Newspaper Corp., Savannah, this scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding print journalism student. Applications can be submitted through newspapers in the Morris Newspaper Corporation family and recipients are named by the GPEF Board of Trustees. Students may also apply using a GPEF scholarship form.

• William C. Rogers Scholarship: This scholarship was established in memory of William Curran Rogers Sr., who was editor and publisher of the Swainsboro Forest-Blade for more than 30 years. During his career, he served as president of Georgia Press Association, president of National Newspaper Association and president of National Newspaper Representatives. The William C. Rogers Scholarship granted by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation to students of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia was established in his honor.

Billy Watson Internship Program

Since 1994, GPEF has provided more than 150 Georgia newspapers grants to hire a paid summer intern through the Billy Watson Internship Program.

Today, the program continues to offer eight-week internship grants to newspapers to hire students interested in any phase of newspaper production, including advertising, editorial, circulation/marketing, online publishing and pre-press production.

The internship program provides students with actual newspaper experience while reinforcing their scholastic training with a goal of convincing interns to pursue a career in the newspaper industry. Most interns credit the program with giving them a perspective of the newspaper business that they could not have gleaned from the classroom alone.

Internships are awarded to publications that are members of Georgia Press Association. Newspapers that are awarded internship grants are responsible for the hiring of student interns and may choose from their own candidates or from candidates applying for internships through Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Newspapers:

For the summer of 2018, 15 members of Georgia Press Association were awarded grants to hire interns. Could your newspaper use an internship grant next summer? Plan for it now. Recruit potential interns at your local college or high school and encourage the students to check out the program.

Students:

Students interested in internships with a specific newspaper in the summer of 2019 should contact that newspaper to make sure that they are eligible for a grant as members of Georgia Press Association and that they are applying for one through GPEF.